NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks closed effectively flat in quiet trading Wednesday as investors waited to see what the outcome would be of an emergency meeting between Greece and the rest of the eurozone to discuss the country's finances.

CHICAGO (AP) - A Little League team that captured the attention of the nation and the hearts of its hometown was stripped of its national title Wednesday after an investigation revealed that team officials had falsified boundaries so they could add ineligible players to the roster.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Pressured by Congress, the IRS said Wednesday it is changing its policies and apologizing for seizing banks accounts from otherwise law-abiding business owners simply because they structured bank transactions to avoid federal reporting requirements.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama asked Congress Wednesday to formally authorize military force against the Islamic State group, arguing the militants could pose a threat to the U.S. homeland if their violent power grab goes unchecked and urging lawmakers to "show the world we are united in our resolve to counter the threat."

MIAMI (AP) - Drivers at drunken-driving checkpoints don't have to speak to police or even roll down their windows. They just have to place their license and registration on the glass, along with a note saying they have no comment, won't permit a search and want a lawyer. At least, that's the view of a South Florida attorney.

The family of Kayla Jean Mueller said Tuesday it had received confirmation that she died while being held by Islamic State militants. The Mueller family released a letter it said she had written last year. Here is the text, as provided by the family, which also redacted some portions:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House circulated a proposal Tuesday authorizing the Pentagon to fight Islamic State terrorists without an "enduring offensive combat" role, hoping to satisfy lawmakers with widely varying views on the need for U.S. ground operations.

NEW YORK (AP) - Whether or not Olympic legend Bruce Jenner becomes its new champion, the transgender-rights movement is making remarkable strides on many fronts - ranging from mass-media visibility to legal protections. Yet despite the gains, activists say many transgender Americans, far more so than gays and lesbians, remain vulnerable to violence, discrimination and lack of understanding.

CHICAGO (AP) - Drew Peterson, the former suburban Chicago police officer convicted of killing his third wife and suspected in the disappearance his fourth, has been charged with trying to hire someone to kill the prosecutor who helped put him in state prison, authorities announced Monday.

Archive By Section - NATION/WORLD

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) - The soldier who killed three people at Fort Hood never saw combat during a deployment to Iraq and had shown no apparent risk of violence before gunning down fellow service members on the same military base that was the scene of an infamous 2009 mass shooting, authorities said Thursday.

HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) - A small dog that escaped its fenced-in yard in Texas was found outside a southwest Ohio animal shelter, and its owners have no idea how he traveled more than 1,000 miles in a few days.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court's conservative majority voted Wednesday to free wealthy donors to give to as many political candidates and campaigns as they want, further loosening the reins on giving by big contributors as the 2014 campaign moves into high gear.

WASHINGTON (AP) - House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan unveiled an updated Republican budget plan Tuesday that would slash $5.1 trillion in federal spending over coming decade and promises to balance the government's books with wide-ranging cuts in programs like food stamps and government-paid health care for the poor and working class.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - It may mean little to investigators that the last words air traffic controllers heard from the lost jetliner were "Good night, Malaysian three-seven-zero," rather than "All right, good night." But to Malaysian officials whose credibility has been questioned almost from the beginning, it means a great deal.

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Sharp differences over abortion and birth control surfaced as President Barack Obama held his first meeting Thursday with Pope Francis, even as the president sought to emphasize common ground issues like economic inequality during a much-anticipated Vatican visit.

PERTH, Australia (AP) - Hints about the lost Malaysian jetliner piled up Thursday, but there was precious little chance to track them down. Bad weather cut short the hunt for possible debris fields from the aircraft as satellite data revealed hundreds more objects that might be wreckage.

PERTH, Australia (AP) - A French satellite scanning the Indian Ocean for remnants of a missing jetliner found a possible plane debris field containing 122 objects, a top Malaysian official said Wednesday, calling it "the most credible lead that we have."

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court seemed divided Tuesday over whether employers' religious beliefs can free them from a part of the new health care law that requires that they provide coverage of birth control for employees at no extra charge.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Malaysia said Tuesday that it has narrowed the search for a downed jetliner to an area the size of Texas and Oklahoma in the southern Indian Ocean, while Australia said improved weather would allow the hunt for possible debris from the plane to resume.

NEW YORK (AP) - At a time when Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are pushing people to put forward their most polished, put-together selves, a new class of mobile applications aims for a bit more honesty.